Derby and Darley Abbey

Sophie Sparham, Camille McCawley, Suzanne Fraser-Martin, Charlotte Lunn, Aoife O’Connor and Jenny Raynor

Welcome to Discovery Days 2020 online

Derby and Darley Abbey

Just click on the videos below!

To Where it Begins

During 2010 artists Matt and Rob Vale from Illuminos were commissioned to create a new video artwork, celebrating the beauty, history and variety of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

From Monks to Mills: Darley Abbey Historical Group

This video provides a brief history of the charming and historical village of Darley Abbey. It traces the village’s past from medieval times, as the location of one of England’s largest and most affluent Augustinian monasteries, through to Henry VIII’s Dissolution of 1538. It also considers its place at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, with the establishment of some of the earliest cotton spinning mills.

Nightingale Owl Production: Royal Crown Derby

A video about the production of the 2020 Nightingale Owl paperweight at Royal Crown Derby.

Spoken Word Pieces by She Speaks UK: Tales of Derby Women Past

Click on this link to watch the recording of the live launch event

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEsIRPHxBEI

Sophie Sparham, Camille McCawley, Suzanne Fraser-Martin, Charlotte Lunn, Aoife O’Connor and Jenny RaynorThese spoken word pieces by She Speaks UK poets were created exclusively for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site online Discovery Days Festival 2020.
Six poets working in collaboration with She Speaks UK, have taken inspiration from Derby’s rich heritage to create spoken word pieces that highlight women’s stories from history.
Poets include: Suzanne Fraser-Martin, Camille McCawley, Sophie Sparham, Charlotte Lunn, Jenny Raynor, Aoife O’ Connor and Dan Webber.

Each poet has performed their poem in unique locations in Derby and the Derwent Valley captured on film. The launch was streamed on YouTube and featured Aoife O’ Connor and Dan Webber of She Speaks UK and Kate Watson from Beam, presenting 6 short films and answering questions submitted by viewers watching live.

This commission is part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Great Place Scheme funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England, produced by Beam.

The Derby Arboretum and its Friends

Richard Benfield, Secretary of the Friends of Derby Arboretum (FDA) has made a wonderful video about the history of the Derby Arboretum from its inception up to the current day. With beautiful pictures, historical documents and contemporary photos of the park, this film is both a trip down memory lane and full of excitement and anticipation for the parks future. This video was made by Ben for the Derby Arboretum Online Festival 2020 which was held in place of the annual Lark in the Park gathering which would have been dedicated to this year’s 180th anniversary of the park. If you missed it check out FDA’s Youtube channel for all their videos.

Hand weaving with George

How to hand weave. A quick ‘how to’ textile craft activity at home. Linked to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site the world’s first factories and home to large scale water powered cotton spinning and textile industries. Something to try at home and share with us.

Woven Puppets with George

Home based textile craft making a woven puppet using simple materials. Linked to the textiles heritage of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site our puppets use textiles, cotton, fabric and wool to make different characters including Sir Richard Arkwright who owned the cotton spinning mills at Cromford and a mill worker.

Darley Abbey Past and Present

A short film showing images of Darley Abbey, in the south of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, comparing how it used to look with how it looks now.

Getting to know the World Heritage Site: Understanding Attributes

Find out all about the attributes in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Attributes help us to define and understand a World Heritage Site.

Part 1 focuses on the successful use of water power for mass production.

Part 2 focuses on the new way of life.

Part 3 focuses on mass production and new technology.

Part 4 focuses on the introduction of new modes of transport.

Part 5 focuses on the ‘relict’ landscape.

Getting to know the World Heritage Site: Chapels and Churches

Regular visitors to our Discovery Days festival will know that we always have a number of Chapels and Churches open to look round. Here is a chance to see some of them.